Master gardener classes offered

Wednesday

Nov 27, 2013 at 10:41 AM

March of Dimes dinner is Dec. 10.

BY MIKE McCORMICKmichael.mccormick@news-star.com

Master gardener classes being offered;

March of Dimes event slated Dec. 10

The Pottawatomie County Extension Office will again be offering the Master Gardener Training Course. The Master Gardener Program is a volunteer organization for the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

The classes will begin on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. Topics will include research-based information on plant/soil nutrition, entomology, plant disease, weed control, lawn care, safe usage of pesticides and other topics. The program is for anyone with a high-school education or equivalent, and a genuine interest in growing plants.

The eight week program will be presented on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees will receive approximately 40 hours of training from OSU Extension Educators and State Horticulture Specialists.

Handouts of the programs will be provided. To gain a Master Gardener certification, 40 hours of assistance to the local OSU Extension Horticulture Program is required after attending the class. Hours can be accumulated through community service projects and assisting the Master Gardeners on horticulture projects.

The registration fee is $40, non-refundable with the first half due at sign-up. The balance is due by the first day of class. To prevent the course from being cancelled, at least 15 participants must be enrolled. The maximum number of participants is 22.

Deadline for enrolling is Nov. 29, 2013. Applicants will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Applications are available in the Pottawatomie County OSU Extension Office at 14001 Acme Road, Shawnee, OK. For more information call the Extension Office at 273.7683.

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The Pottawatomie County March of Dimes will continue its fund raising efforts with a spaghetti dinner on Dec. 10 at Tecumseh City Hall. The dinner includes spaghetti with meatballs, salad, bread, drink and dessert.

The dinner will be held from 5 until 7 p.m. Tickets are $6. Tickets may be purchased at Tecumseh Tag Agency, Branson McKiddy Real Estate and No. 9 Auto Sales.

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The Lincoln County OSU Extension Center is hosting an open house on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.

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The annual Downtown Shawnee Christmas Parade will be held on Thursday, Dec. 5, in historic downtown Shawnee. The Parade begins at 6:30 p.m. and will run along its normal Main Street route.

The theme for this year’s Parade is Celebrating Shawnee Heritage and entries should be designed accordingly. The Grand Marshal for this year’s Parade is the Shawnee Public Library.

The Shawnee Public Library was organized in 1901 with 100 books that moved from home office to home office until the stately Carnegie Library was built in Woodland Park in 1905.

In 1976, Shawnee Public Library joined the Pioneer Multicounty Library System to expand resources to Shawnee citizens. Entry forms may be picked up at the City Hall Annex Building (222 N. Broadway) and are due on Friday, Nov. 15. There is no entry fee. Please call 878-1665 for questions.

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Visitors to the Sooner State who want to enjoy a spur-of-the-moment fishing outing now have a more cost-effective alternative to obtain the necessary license. On Nov. 1, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation began offering a one-day nonresident fishing license for the first time.

"This new option allows people who are simply visiting for one day to enjoy fishing on Oklahoma's lakes and streams without having to buy the six-day license as they did before," said Michael Chrisman, license section supervisor for the Wildlife Department.

Previously, residents from other states who needed a fishing license in Oklahoma had the choice to buy either a six-day nonresident fishing license for $35 or an annual nonresident fishing license for $55. The nonresident one-day license costs $15.

"When someone visiting Oklahoma decides to go fishing for a day, this new license will be a great option in addition to the six-day license that they would have had to buy previously," said Melinda Streich, assistant director of the Wildlife Department. "The one-day license should appeal especially to those people who tend to make last-minute decisions when visiting family or friends for the weekend."

Nonresidents will still be able to buy the six-day and annual fishing licenses, in addition to the new one-day nonresident license.

The one-day license can be purchased ahead of time, and the buyer can choose the day that the license will be valid. These licenses expire at midnight at the end of the day the license is valid. Most fishing and hunting licenses are available for purchase at the Wildlife Department's web site at wildlifedepartment.com or from retail license vendors across the state.

An Oklahoma nonresident fishing license is required for any nonresident who takes, attempts to take or possesses fish or other aquatic-dwelling organisms by any method in Oklahoma. Nonresidents who are 13 and younger are exempt from license requirements. Also exempt are nonresidents 15 and younger who live in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas or Wisconsin.

Also, Oklahoma's reciprocal license agreement with Texas allows anyone 65 or older who is a resident of the Lone Star State to fish in Oklahoma without having to buy a license.

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If you have ideas or something of interest for this column, please call me at 214-3922 or email me at michael.mccormick@news-star.com. Please include your name and a phone number for contact purposes.